FC Dallas' season came to a disappointing end Wednesday, with a home loss to the Portland Timbers meaning the potential Western Conference final at Toyota Stadium wouldn't materialize. The team said all year its goal was to win the franchise's first-ever MLS Cup, but that dream has again been delayed another season.

There are plenty of questions about how the team will look in 2019. This season already saw FCD bid farewell to players who were part of the club's fiber. The remodel will continue this winter, especially with it being the first offseason for Luiz Muzzi, the club's Vice President of Soccer Operations, to be calling the shots in the transfer market. What all do Muzzi, the Hunt brothers and the rest of the FCD brass have on their plates? Here are five big questions that will be answered this offseason:

1. Will FC Dallas make a move for a forward?

The 52 goals scored in the regular season was better than just three Western Conference rivals. Maxi Urruti and Roland Lamah tied for the team lead with eight goals apiece, which puts them in a tie for 45th place on the goalscoring list. During the team's lilt in October, there were attacking chances being created but precious few actually being converted. This has been a frequent issue for FCD and one that seems to demand the team move for a proven No. 9.

Maybe the question should be if FC Dallas will make a move for another forward. Ahead of the 2017 season, the team fought off competition from Mexico and South America to sign Cristian Colman. This season, FCD traded for Dominique Badji. Neither has been anywhere near expectations, and FCD once again finds itself in desperate need of a consistent scorer.

2. What's next for Oscar Pareja?

The well-respected coach has been leading FCD for five seasons and over that time has regularly put the team among the league's leaders in points and led the side to the Supporters' Shield and the U.S. Open Cup titles in 2016. One of few coaches continually linked with the vacant U.S. national team job, Pareja's continuity in Frisco is a question perhaps for the first time ever.

If U.S. Soccer doesn't call on the 50-year-old, there could be additional pressure after a second year running out of steam in the second half of the season. This season was a year in which Pareja needed to prove himself as well. He did so by getting the team back to the postseason. In 2019, he'll be asked to avoid another late-season collapse and probably to work in more young players while he does it.

3. Is a shake-up needed in goal?

Jesse Gonzalez again became the starter for the bulk of the season in 2018. At the start of the year, Jimmy Maurer held down the job when Gonzalez was recovering from injury. Truthfully, both are MLS-caliber starting goalkeepers, with Gonzalez's numbers regularly among the top five or top ten shot-stoppers in the league.

Plenty of fans weren't thrilled with Gonzalez's performance down the stretch. The goalkeeper struggled in the playoff defeat to Portland and also had a howler in a stunning regular-season loss to last-place San Jose. But at just 23 the homegrown product is still young for a goalkeeper. That could boost his have transfer value - especially from Liga MX teams who could sign the Mexican-American as a domestic player. In Maurer, FCD has a capable starter should it decide to move on from Gonzalez. That's a decision that may be reactionary, though, for a player who still has plenty of potential.

4. Will more familiar faces head for the door?

Few could have foreseen a 2018 season that saw both homegrown midfielder Kellyn Acosta and playmaker Mauro Diaz leave during the season. That's exactly what happened, though, with Acosta traded to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for Dominique Badji and selling Mauro Diaz to Shabab Al-Ahli in the United Arab Emirates.

With a makeover already in progress from the team that won trophies in 2016, several other players who have become familiar faces around Toyota Stadium may be playing elsewhere in the coming year. Colman, Lamah and defender Maynor Figueroa are unlikely to return unless they accept big paycuts for new deals.

There may be even more surprising departures. Players like Michael Barrios and Maxi Urruti are under contract but have been subject to bids from teams abroad that may tempt FCD as it looks to reboot an struggling attack.

5. Who are the next young stars to get a shot?

FCD finished second in the league in homegrown minutes played, though the lion's share of those are thanks to Gonzalez, Victor Ulloa and Reggie being regular starters. Cannon played a single league minute in 2017 but became indispensable in 2018, starting every match except when he was on duty with the U.S. national team.

Candidates to have a breakout season like the 20-year-old Cannon include attacking midfielder Paxton Pomykal, central midfielder Bradon Servania and forward Jesus Ferreira. Pomykal and Servania are currently with the U.S. U-20 team as it looks to qualify for the 2019 U-20 World Cup, with attacker Adonijah Reid with Canada's team after spending the year on loan with the Ottawa Fury. Center back Chris Richards is another candidate, should he return from a loan with Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich's youth teams - though don't hold your breath.

The team's recently announced USL League One should help as well, giving young players a chance to earn professional minutes without having to break into the first team.